Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Massachusetts to Remove 8 Aging Dams for Water Quality, Flood Mitigation, Safety
Dec 4 2023 // Eight aging dams in central and western Massachusetts will be removed as part of a $25 million initiative announced Friday by state environmental officials. The structures to be dismantled include the abandoned high-hazard...
Fishing Community Mayor, Top Officials Off the Hook in Retaliation Claims
Dec 1 2023 // The mayor and other city officials in the fishing community of Gloucester, Massachusetts are protected under qualified immunity against claims by the city’s harbormaster that they violated his First Amendment...
Massachusetts Climate Strategy Brings Together Its 78 Coastal Communities
Nov 30 2023 // Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced a plan to assist the state’s 78 coastal communities from Cape Cod to the North Shore, where 2.5 million live, with their development of long-term regulatory, policy,...
Lawsuit Blames Negligence by Plant Owner, HVAC Contractors for Cannabis Worker’s Asthma Death
Nov 29 2023 // A lawsuit has been filed over what has been identified as the cannabis industry’s first asthma workplace death. The mother of a worker who died from an asthma attack at a Massachusetts cannabis processing plant in...
Cannabis Industry Reports First Worker Death From Asthma Attack
Nov 20 2023 // The U.S. cannabis production industry’s first reported occupational asthma death took the life of a worker in Massachusetts, federal health and safety officials said. The woman, 27, was working in a cannabis...
Fifth Member of Catalytic Converter Theft Crew Pleads Guilty
Nov 17 2023 // A Springfield, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Boston to his role in a regional organized theft crew that officials say stole catalytic converters from more than 490 vehicles as well as from...
OSHA Faults Pharmaceutical Manufacturer in Massachusetts Plant’s Fatal Explosion
Nov 17 2023 // A Newburyport, Massachusetts pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer and its parent company could have prevented an employee’s death from an explosion but lacked the required safeguards in a chemical manufacturing...
NOAA: U.S. Withstands Record 25 Disasters in 2023
Nov 15 2023 // Another billion-dollar disaster was confirmed in October, bringing the total to a record 25 such disasters in the first 10 months — the largest number of disasters for any year since NOAA began tracking the events. These...
Judge Upholds $24M Award in Suit by Employee With Social Anxiety Disorder
Nov 14 2023 // A federal district court judge in Massachusetts has upheld a $24 million jury award for a woman who sued her employer for retaliation and discrimination because of her social anxiety disorder. The employer, PPD...
GE Settles Claims a Massachusetts Plant Sold Improperly Inspected Parts to Army, Navy
Nov 13 2023 // General Electric’s aerospace unit agreed on Monday to pay $9.4 million to settle federal government claims that a Massachusetts plant sold parts to the U.S. Army and Navy that were not properly inspected or did not...
Plumbing Supply Firm Fights Sales Reps’ Court Award of $3.2M Overtime Wages
Nov 7 2023 // The U.S. Department of Labor expects to recover more than $3.2 million in overtime back wages for more than 700 inside sales representatives of the F.W. Webb plumbing supply company. DOL has accused F.W. Webb of...
Member of Crew Tied to 490 Catalytic Converter Thefts Pleads Guilty
Oct 30 2023 // A Springfield, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston last week to his role in a regional organized theft crew that stole catalytic converters from over 490 vehicles. According to Acting U.S. Attorney...
EPA Urges Ban on Chemical Cited in ‘Civil Action’ Movie About Massachusetts City
Oct 30 2023 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care and arts and...
Asleep at Wheel: When a Medical Emergency Does Not Negate a Driver’s Negligence
Oct 19 2023 // A driver who suffers a sudden medical emergency and crashes into another vehicle may be held liable for the accident even if never diagnosed with the condition or never advised not to drive. If the driver knew or should...
70-Year-Old Man Settles With Catholic Diocese Over Sex Abuse Suffered at Age 8
Oct 16 2023 // A 70-year-old man who recently reached a settlement with a Roman Catholic diocese in Massachusetts over sexual abuse he suffered at age 8 said Wednesday he is speaking out because “my voice was taken away from me for...
Injured Worker Compensated in Rhode Island Barred From Suing in Massachusetts
Oct 3 2023 // An injured worker who collects workers’ compensation in Rhode Island cannot sue his employer in Massachusetts, according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Both states bar any other recovery once an...
Automakers Delay Complying with Massachusetts Data Repair Law
Sep 26 2023 // An auto industry group said on Friday carmakers do not plan to immediately comply with a Massachusetts law requiring them to share vehicle data with independent repair shops citing concerns about potential hacking. The...
Gallagher Buys Massachusetts-based Eastern Insurance
Sep 21 2023 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the global insurance brokerage, has agreed to acquire Massachusetts-based Eastern Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Eastern Bank, Gallagher announced. The move is subject to regulatory...
New England Braces for Lee After Days of Torrential Rains
Sep 14 2023 // Soaked and stunned residents in neighborhoods across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut have begun surveying and fixing damage from several days of flooding and a reported tornado, while they and others in the...
Already Soaked New England Warned of More Flooding Today, Hurricane Lee on Weekend
Sep 13 2023 // Already saturated communities in New England are facing continued heavy rains with additional flooding today and the prospect of even more bad weather from Hurricane Lee over the coming weekend. The National Weather...
